Dawnbreaker, Third Book of the Dark Days Series (ARC) by Jocelynn Drake

Publisher: EOS Books / Harper Collins
Pages: 457 (384 pb)
Release date 9-29-09

(all book images and blurbs from Harper Collins)

From the Cover:
"The dawn brinks new terror for the creatures of the night..."

Those off her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will -- a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift ... and a curse.

The naturi despise Mira for what she is -- as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.

Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost. for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide."

"Instant New York Times bestselling author Jocelynn Drake returns with the third action-packed Dark Days novel, as vampire enforcer Mira must stop an ancient coven."

Background Information:

"NIGHTWALKER is an action-packed, stellar debut. Jocelynn Drake will have you coming back for more." (Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author of Halfway to the Grave )

"An intoxicating mix of jet-setting action and sparkling turns of phrase that let me taste the Nile and feel the British fog. NIGHTWALKER is a must-read addition to the urban fantasy genre, filled both with action and satisfying characters." (Kim Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of For a Few Demons More )

"An unflinchingly self-assured first novel, chiseled with subtlety and irony into a darkly suspenseful and blessedly surprising story. In exacting detail, and with prose as silky and enticing as her protagonist, Drake has composed a love letter to the vampire genre. I wish I'd written it." (Vicki Pettersson )

Mira has returned to her beloved Savannah, but she is being hunted.....Naturi have followed from Venice. And they are a particularly blood thirsty bunch. The lycans are not safe, they're being summoned as foot soldiers for the Naturi, and at every turn the nightwalkers are fighting, if not the naturi, then the lycans. Both numbers of lycan and nightwalker are dwindling and the lycans are ready to pronounce an all out war on the nightwalkers to cleanse the city of the naturi presence.

Amanda, a nightwalker who wants to become part of Mira's new family, has been captured by the naturi and Mira knows what the naturi do to their captives. Danaus arrives from his home base in London just as Mira is set to reclaim Amanda. The naturi have to be dealt with before they open the door, summoning Aurora into the human realm. Mira needs to learn to use the earth magic that has been thrumming through her body, pushing for a place to belong, and also for a release, a need to be used.

As Mira and Danaus try to rescue Amanda, the naturi also have another captive, a young naturi female bound in iron, Aurora's youngest sister and princess to the naturi queendom, Cynnia. Why would the naturi have one of their own bound in iron? What is Rowe planning now? Will Mira and Danaus survive this next encounter with the naturi or will they perish as others have before them?

Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake was a magical ride through the mysteries yet to come in the Nightwalker world. It was an fantastic addition to the Dark Days Series that will leaving you hoping, begging, screaming for more. We're left wondering what could be in store for the future of this series. I tried to stretch out this book, torn between wanting to speed through the pages, yet hanging on every word. Our heroine, Mira, has been put through Hell, but it's not over yet. The naturi want nothing more than to separate her head from her body, bringing the only true death for our Fire Starter. Rowe has sent his minions into her home to hunt her down, nothing will stand his way for releasing his queen-wife. The Coven and the members of the nightwalker society who were hoping for the unclaimed seat of Tabor are hoping for her death as well, but not before the seal is re-made. Mira finds herself as a protector of mankind as well as the Earth. Our hero, Danaus, is growing closer to Mira. It's almost as if he is being drawn to the one thing that brings the worst part of his soul into the open, the monsters that he has been hunting and killing all of his long life. Now, he begins to see that not all of the monsters come in nightwalker form. He realizes that some nightwalkers seek what he has lost as well, the humanity that has been alluding them all.

Dawnbreaker is such as incredible addition to the series that all I have tried to do is to peak your interest, give a small taste of what is to come in this unfolding world of the Nightwalker. It is truly a masterpiece of writing. Please visit Jocelynn Drake's website, it chock full of extras. Ms. Drakes blog as wonderful insights to her writing process and it updated regularly. Eos Books, which offered this very early ARC is a wonderful site full of great information. Thanks to both Eos Books and Jocelynn Drake for making this review possible.

If you have not read Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake, what are you wanting for?? Here is a peek at the blurb for Nightwalker, First of The Dark Days Series.


For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.

And Dayhunter, The Second Book in the Dark Days Series.



A new day dawns blood red

A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally—the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city, for the threat of conflict is in the wind . . . with unholy alliances and earth-shattering betrayals taking hideous form in the shadows.

Banished for eons beyond the world's boundaries, the malevolent naturi prepare to feed once again upon a vulnerable earth—and treachery is opening wide the portal that will enable their dread re-emergence. The great battle that has always been Mira's destiny is looming, and she must remain powerful in the face of a shocking revelation: that Danaus, the only creature she dares to trust, is something more than the man he claims to be . . .



Biographical information about Jocelynn Drake:

(image from SciFiGuy's webiste)

By day, Jocelynn Drake is a clean-cut financial analyst writer, but in her free time she writes about a dark underworld where vampires rule. The author of Nightwalker, she lives in Kentucky.

(from Harper Collins)
• Nightwalker was an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller, spending four weeks on the extended and USA Today lists. This is a fabulous start for a debut author, and gives HarperCollins the perfect platform to build this commercial writer.
• Supernatural fiction is still going strong, as shown by the amazing sales of Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and HarperCollins’s own wildly successful authors Kim Harrison and Vicki Pettersson.
• With a strong heroine and a sexy vampire hunter, Dawnbreaker is perfect for the many fans of paranormal romance looking for more great reads.
• Jocelynn Drake has a fresh new take on vampires, mixing globetrotting adventure and intrigue with a sexy cat-and-mouse game between the vampire heroine and a hunter—who has his own dark secrets. The heroine is fabulous—Mira is a mix of Jennifer Garner in Alias and Underworld’s Kate Beckinsale—a badass, beautiful, bloodsucking babe with a brain.
• Dawnbreaker will be published in October 2009, just five months after Dayhunter. Given HarperCollins’s great track record with rapid publication, this will continue to build Jocelynn Drake into a bestselling supernatural author.

Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

Publisher: EOS Books, Harper Collins
Pages: 356

From the Cover: Nightwalkers and Naturi battle:

A new day dawns blood red.

A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally—the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city, for the threat of conflict is in the wind . . . with unholy alliances and earth-shattering betrayals taking hideous form in the shadows.

Banished for eons beyond the world's boundaries, the malevolent naturi prepare to feed once again upon a vulnerable earth—and treachery is opening wide the portal that will enable their dread re-emergence. The great battle that has always been Mira's destiny is looming, and she must remain powerful in the face of a shocking revelation: that Danaus, the only creature she dares to trust, is something more than the man he claims to be . . .

Mira and Tristan slam into an alley, bloody, battered, and battle weary. Thorne has been killed by the Naturi before Mira could save him. It was a wonder that any had made it from the London bar. She has sworn to try to free Tristan from their maker and to keep him alive if possible. It will be a daunting task, considering his youth and the fact that most of the Nightwalkers will consider him chum...easy pickings for the more powerful and greater hierarchy.

Now, Jabari is demanding her return to Venice, somewhere she really doesn't want to be. But does she really have a choice, both Jabari and Danuis have proved that they can easily wield her as a weapon. Better to go on her own and forced by a will not her own. Mira's maker, Sadira has also been summoned to explain the unexplainable, the death of Tabor and the Naturi's ability to break the seal which separates the evil fae led by Rowe to release his wife and Queen to seek revenge and reek havoc upon the humans and vampires alike. The Naturi wish to kill both species and rule the Earth as they feel the fae are destined to be.

Venice is the stronghold of the vampire council, now missing one member of the council of four with the death of Tabor. That was the whole point of going to London, to seek out one of Tabor's bloodline, Thorne. The Naturi poisoned him, but Mira and Danuis were able to avenge the death. Who knew that together Danuis and Mira would yield enough power to destroy the Naturi, not only in the immediate vicinity, but for miles around. Mira, best known as the Fire Starter - the one true death that vampires feared, and Danuis of the Brotherhood - vampire hunter and the holder of a power so great - to make the blood boil from the inside out. Together, they are force to be reckon with by only the ancients.

When Mira and Danuis arrive in Venice, it is only to find that Weres are also present as well as some of the Naturi, what would the evil fae be doing in the vampire stronghold?

To make matter worse, Mira discovers Sadira's plot to sacrifice Tristan to the wannabes of the vampire council to make up for the loss of Tabor. She is his maker and he is her toy, but Mira has given him her vow of protection. She must go against her maker and claim Tristan as her own, marking him as part of her family; something she has avoided for 600 years. She has also vowed to make sure Danuis leaves Venice alive, will she never learn? Now she is responsible for two lives.

Mira has been an enforcer for the Triad (the keepers of the seal and law enforcers for Nightwalkers), seeking out those you have broken the vampire code to meet their end. Now, the Triad must be remade to keep the Naturi at bay. The Bori, evil fae of demon origin, have also been locked away. But they're not Mira's consideration at this time, the Naturi are the danger.

Danuis feels it's only fair to reveal the origin of his birth to Mira, to explain his longevity and his need to destroy evil; they have battled together and will be forced into a continued alliance. Mira cannot believe what he tells her, and she knows he doesn't understand to truth of his origins as she does. Now she has another secret to hide or the council will kill them both.

As the time draws near to the magical hour when Rowe will try to break the seal that will lead to the eventual release of his Queen, Mira begins to wonder who can be trusted. Surely not Jabari, her once mentor, friend, and teacher who wants nothing more than her head on a spike. Valorie, possibly as they had wondered Italy for years. Sadira, never, Mira has stolen one of her children. The other two members of the council want Mira dead just because of her ability as a Fire Starter. Mira knows the battle must be fought, but who will remain standing...Nightwalkers, Naturi, the Brotherhood? All have reasons to kill her even if she does survive.

Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake is the second book in the Dark Days Series. Nightwalker, the first in the series, was one of my top picks for 2008 and Jocelynn Drake is one of the best up and coming young authors in urban fantasy. I was not disappointed by her ability with this second installment. She continues to weave a world beyond the knowledge of the human reality. I am enthralled with her series and I hope it continues for many more books. Mira is a heroine who has been tortured in life. She was born of Crete heritage but stood out with vibrant red curling locks, pale skin tones, and jewel green eyes, so unlike the ruddy brown of hair, eyes, and skin tones of her ancestors. She was born with the ability of the fire starter; it did not come as a gift of vampirism. Sadira stole Mira from her family and kept her for many years before offering her the choice of vampire or death. Mira choose life of a vampire over a certain death. She chooses to live alone, with no one but her Angels (her guards) to watch over her resting body during daylights hours. She seeks the humanity lost to her, protecting those whom she preys upon. Even as she needs to feed, she never drains her victims, only taking what she needs to survive. Danuis, our hero, is a supremely tortured individual who has been hiding the origins of his soul for more than thousand years. He has been alive since the Romans controlled the civilized world. He has sought out the evil to destroy as his self imposed punishment. He doesn't understand fully what he is or knows the exist of the evil that could be unleashed by his presence. Mira feels an almost unreasonable attraction to this vampire hunter. She knows it can never be, as he does with his uneasy need to protect her and the vampire that she is. Each has vowed to kill the other. I loved the way this story flowed so seamlessly, the pieces fitting nicely together. Book Two starts almost on the last sentence and thought of Book One. The description of Venice was amazingly well done down to describing the smells associated with a city that has lived under water and the crumbling architecture that surrounds the vampire stronghold. This is Jocelynn Drake's first foray into published writing and she has been rewarded with a second contract. The series in order to date is Nightwalker (7-29-08), Dayhunter (4-28-09), Dawnbreaker (to be released 9-29-09), as well as Unbound, an anthology with Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, and Vicki Pettersson that will be available 8-25-09. For more information about Jocelynn Drake and her fantastical books, please visit her website or her blog.

Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake

Publisher: EOS Books / Harper Collins Publishing
Pages: 370

From the Cover: For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker -- an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed.........and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt.......or be hunted.

Mira is a 600 hundred year old vampire, merely an infant compared to some, but a controller of one of the vampire's deadliest enemies. She is a fire starter. There is no coming back from flames. Her territory is the Savannah, where she is master. Who is this human, this hunter that has entered her territory. So far he has slain at least two of the fledglings. They were new without a master vampire to help them, but not her problem. The one called Riley she was going to kill anyway because of his tendency to increase his family like it was his territory.

Danaus is a hunter, a killer of the Nosferatu -- the undead or vampire. He belongs to the Brotherhood, the keepers of the holy, working for the greater good. Why doesn't he carry a silver cross? He's already damned, no one or thing can protect him. He has been stalking Mira, trying to draw her out. Well tonight he has succeeded.......

As Mira and Danaus face off in an abandoned house, Mira realizes this is no ordinary human, he may not be human at all. Who is this Danaus and what does he want in her territory? As they struggle against one another, Danaus reveals he has not come to destroy Mira, but to gain information. Mira suspects if she lets him live, he will prove to be her nightmare, but Danaus, whatever he is, is very strong and she has been weakened. She should destroy him here and now, but then she'll never know what brought him into her territory.

Mira and Danaus meet again, this time in a crowded lycanthrope bar. He's still pushing for information. What type of information? If he desires Mira's information, he will have to accept her assistance. His gut says to kill her, but can he afford to? The decision is made, he is seeking information about the naturi; guardians of the Earth, the Third Race, known as the Seeley Court, Sidhe or Fae.

Mira has no love for the naturi; they are no guardians. They would destroy both humans and vampires, to take over the Earth for themselves. Mira was held captive by the naturi; a fate she has no wish to repeat. The naturi hold magical weapons, ones that can be used to torture the vampire, cause extreme pain before death is delivered. If it hadn't been for the Triad all those long years ago, Mira's existence would have ended. They are dead, only a fairy tale now. Why would Danaus seek information about them?

Danaus has information of the naturi's return. He has seen them, has one held captive. Mira must see with her own eyes this naturi...if he is naturi. And if he is naturi, then the Earth is in trouble because they are truly a wicked force, one that must be dealt with if humans and vampires are to exist.......

This is just a small taste of Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake. It is an amazingly well told story of the vampire existence. Ms. Drake weaves a world where magic exists, where vampire and lycanthropes walk with humans without their knowledge. Where the naturi or fae are violently evil, a blight against all the mankind holds dear, their very lives. As I began my stroll through the world of Nightwalker, I was gripped by Mira's ability to see the humanity she has lost. Danaus is an unknown factor, I was left wondering what he was. Danaus feels lost, his humanity lost, but he wishes he could regain it. He is heartsick with the loss. He feels a tenderness towards Mira. He is beyond being human and appears to be centuries old, as well as the Brotherhood that he serves. Mira and Danaus are drawn to each other, the hunter and the hunted, but which is which. Will they kill each other and become joined as one against a force that neither one can allow to win.

Nightwalker was one of my top picks for 2008. It was an excellent read, which I have re-read since and I highly recommend this book for all urban fantasy/paranormal lovers. It is my personal opinion that Jocelynn Drake is one of the best new writers of fantasy that the genre is producing. Her books are fascinating for the imagination. Well worth reading.

From the Cover: A new day dawns blood red....... A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally - the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city......

I am waiting the release of Dayhunter, Book Two in the Dark Days Series which will be released in five short days, 4-28-09. Ms. Drake will also be releasing the third book in the series, Dawnbreaker, Book Three in the Dark Days Series on 9-29-09. Ms. Drake will be releasing an anthology, Unbound on 8-25-09 with fellow authors Kim Harrison, Vicki Pettersson, Melissa Marr, and Jeanine Frost as well.
(all images and blurbs can be found at Harper Collins.)

Jocelynn Drake talks about Book Two of the Dark Days Series, Dayhunter.



To read an excellent review of Dayhunter, Book Two of the Dark Days Series, please see SciFiGuy.ca.

Also, I had like to give a shout out to Marta @ Vampire Wire for the linkage.
Thanks Marta!!